What The Heart Craves (Complete)

Chapter 5 - Part 1

Lacey

I was on a mission to get over Adonis and start becoming more independent.

I hadn't decided what I wanted to study, but getting the job at the restaurant had set into motion my plans to have a life of my own and to get over my obsession with Adonis.

It wasn't healthy and the only way I was going to get over him was to keep seeing him to a minimum, so that meant spending less time at home where there was a possibility of bumping into him. The hurt I felt at hearing that he'd gotten some girl's number had helped me set my mind to keeping him at a distance. With work and my plans on spending more time by Reece over the weekends, I wanted to see less of the boy who kept bruising my heart.

I was nervous when my mom dropped me off for my first day at work. David showed me to a small staff room in the back of the restaurant. He picked up a neatly fold shirt on the desk and handed it to me.

"You must wear this," he said, and I took the shirt from him.

"You can wear it with jeans or a black skirt," he told me and nodded. Unsure what I had to wear, I'd shown up in a shirt and jeans.

"Go change," he said, and I went into the girl's toilets to change into the white button-up shirt with the

"Gourmet Burgers" logo in blue written on the pocket. It was a size too big, but it would have to do.

I tucked the shirt into my jeans and grabbed my normal shirt before I left the toilets to go back to the staff room.

There was another guy in the office when I entered. I looked around nervously.

"This is Jax," David introduced me and I extended a hand to him. Jax smiled as he shook it.

"You'll be working the same shifts as he is until you are ready to work on your own," he instructed. "Good luck."

I followed Jax out of the room and down the small passage to the restaurant.

"Don't be nervous." Jax threw me a look over his shoulder. "We all start at the same point, knowing nothing. You'll get the hang of it and before you know it, you'll be a pro and wondering why you were so nervous to start off with."

I liked him straight away. He was taller than me. His hair was a sandy blonde color and reached just below his ears, and his eyes were a deep blue color that reminded me of the sea.

It was a week day, so the restaurant wasn't that busy, but there was a steady stream of customer and at lunchtime it got busier. I kept my eyes glued to Jax and tried to remember as much as I could so I when I got to work on my own I didn't mess things up.

At the end of my shift at four, I felt tired and my feet hurt.

"You did well," Jax said. I shrugged because I had done nothing but follow him around and watch him like a hawk.

My mom was waiting outside when I left the restaurant.

"So how was your first day?" she asked with excitement.

"It was good," I answered.

By the time I was home, I felt tired. First stop was the kitchen to get something to eat. I wanted to have an early night.

"So how did it go?" Alex asked when I entered the kitchen.

Adonis was sitting beside him at the kitchen counter, and his eyes rested on me. I pulled my gaze away from him and turned my attention to my brother.

It shouldn't have surprised me he was there, but I couldn't stop the way my heart sped up at the sight of him. I hated the fact that despite everything he'd done that had hurt me; it hadn't diminished the way I felt about him.

"It was good."

I answered all the questions my family had, but I was aware of Adonis' eyes on me. The few times I glanced his way, he was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

Trying to ignore him, I ate dinner, but it was harder than I'd expected. On edge, I excused myself and took my plate to the sink.

"I'm going to bed," I said my mom.

"Sure baby." She gave me a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Are you okay?" my father asked. I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

It was half the truth. The other half was me not wanting to be around Adonis.

I felt his eyes on me as I left the kitchen and went upstairs to my room. I got ready for bed.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop myself from thinking of him. Even for the rest of the week, he crept into my thoughts when I wasn't attempting to not think about him.

That Friday after my third shift at the restaurant, I walked out with Jax expecting to see my mom, but it surprised me to see Adonis' car waiting for me.

"You're doing well," Jax said, and I nodded, but I fixed my eyes on Adonis' car.

"Thanks," I pulled my attention back to Jax.

"I think you might be ready to do this on your own in another week," he said. I felt excited at the idea and a little nervous.

"Are you sure?" I asked, not feeling ready at all.

"Yeah."

"I got to go my lift is waiting for me," I told him giving him a friendly smile.

"See you next week." He winked before turning around and walked away.

Feeling nervous at the unexpected sight of Adonis' car, I took a deep breath and released it as I walked over to it. I opened the door and got inside.

"Your mom was running late, so she asked if I could pick you up." His voice was stiff with his eyes fixed in front of him.

His tone took me by surprise. He was always friendly, so I wasn't sure what I'd done to be on the receiving end of his bitter tone. Without another word, he started up the car and a heavy silence settled between us.

The quietness between us was uncomfortable, but I did not know how to ease it, so I kept my mouth shut and keep my eyes fixed to the scenery outside my window. When we got to my house, he parked the car and switched off the engine.

"Thank you." I made a move to open the door, but his hand on my wrist stopped me.

"Who was the guy?" His eyes glittered with anger, his tense jaw. He was confusing me.

"Guy?" I asked, not sure who he was talking about.

"The guy outside the restaurant." His tone was short.

"Jax." I studied him, trying to read why he was acting so strange.

"Who is he?" And the questions kept coming. I held his gaze as I tried to figure out why seeing me with Jax had made him so angry. I didn't understand.

His eyes darkened as he waited for my answer.

"A guy I work with." I tried to pull my wrist from his grip.

"That wasn't what it looked like." His hand still clasped my wrist despite my attempts to break free.

He was acting like a jealous boyfriend. If he liked me, why had he taken the girl's phone number after trying to kiss me? None of it made any sense.

"Why do you care?" I held his gaze. What was with him and all the questions?

He pressed his lips together as he released me and let my wrist go. I rubbed my wrist, not because it hurt but because my skin still tingled where he'd touched me.

I waited for his answer but he remained silent like he was contemplating whether to say anything.

"Why does it matter to you?" I was direct, needing to know why he was acting so out of character. This wasn't like him.

Something in his eyes made me still.